


Eternal Summer

by G123u



Series: A Fairy Tale for Two [1]
Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 12:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15364842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G123u/pseuds/G123u
Summary: Even in death, he had always loved summer.





	Eternal Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for the following subjects:  
> \- Mentions/Implications of child abuse  
> \- Brief mention of suicide/implied homicide

Warm. Gentle. A soft breeze. Sunlight. A musty aroma.

Ahh, summer was finally here.

Ain opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He had always loved summer, when the humid air could be felt on every hair on his arms; when the wind was subtle and sweet, brushing his soft hair like an adoring grandmother; when the pools of water left over from the previous day’s rain would glisten like a sea of fireflies; and of course, when school would come to a close and he could spend more time with _her_. The very thought of seeing her again caused his face to beam. He eagerly stared at the main gate, gentle green eyes covered by wind-tousled hair, half-lidded eyes hiding from the sun. His expression felt almost too calm, too collected, yet somehow, you could tell he wanted this to be a genuine smile.

_Ah, there she is!_ A small figure appeared in the distance, walking towards the school building, barely making a sound as her feet seemingly glided over the concrete surface; long, silver hair gently flowing with the soft and slightest wind; she was carrying her usual tote bag on one arm - worn out through years of use and yet, thoroughly cared for. The phoru emblem had lost most of its color, and Ain could see patches of cloth sewn over holes and tears. The bag retained its curved shape, barely contributing any momentum. Ain wondered to himself. _It must be really light. I wonder what’s inside?_

As graceful as ever. Ain smiled. He adored her eyes - golden, unwavering eyes that always seemed to look far into the distance, into a future that was as bright and clear as her confidence, in herself, in the world. He adored her hair - long, luscious locks that never seemed to tangle, no matter how far she ran, no matter how heavy she played, no matter how hard she fell; flowing, fluttering, swaying, like the blades of grass she walked past. _Eleven o’clock sharp, as punctual as always._ He was excited to see her again.

Swinging his legs dramatically, Ain jumped off the metal bars surrounding the school rooftop. He floated. Slowly. Drifting, light, and then stopped. The moment his feet touched the hard ground, he quickly sprinted to her side.

“Good morning, Eve! Today is such a nice day, isn’t it?” He waved his hands to greet her, then promptly swung them behind his back, placing his feet one after another to a silent, playful rhythm. There was a bounce in his step he didn’t notice. There was a vividness in his eyes he didn’t notice. There was an eagerness in his tone he didn’t notice. All he saw was Eve. “I’m so glad summer is finally here, it’s so warm and comfortable. Spring was much too chilly for me, especially in this outfit.” He pulled at his shirt, a classic short-sleeved dress shirt, neatly tucked into his formal trousers. Add in the black loafers and you have the complete uniform set.

They walked through the hallways in silence. One pair of footsteps. The lights and air conditioning had been turned off to conserve electricity. The air inside felt warm, stuffy, but not to the extent of suffocating. It was a quiet Saturday. The weekend had just begun, but Ain already longed for Monday to come. He couldn’t help but miss the weekday banter, the chatter and laughter of students running down the hallway as teachers chide them not to. _I’m still not used to it being this quiet… But it’s a nice quiet._ He turned to take a glance at Eve: eyes unwavering, lips unmoving - she seemed deep in her own thoughts. He wondered how she would react, just the two of them, alone in this empty school. _Haha, it would almost feel like a date, wouldn’t it~?_ He laughed. Wouldn’t that be nice? A lofty dream. His eyes dulled as his smile turned bitter. He didn’t like this feeling. He needed to change it.

“By the way, you look really nice today, Eve.” He tried not to stare too much, eyes blinking rapidly and darting around, trying to find a safe place to look, trying his best to betray the softest tinge of red on his cheeks. And failing. He felt his face warm up even more and conceded, giving a defeated laugh as he continued. “It’s rare to see you wear a one-piece dress, but you look really nice in it! You should wear white more often.”

He felt a bit awkward standing beside her. If Eve were a majestic prince, then surely he would be the pitiful Cinderella after midnight, wearing just his simple, everyday uniform. But his smile never left his face. He enjoyed the silence he spent with her. It was never awkward, never tense. Eve made him feel at ease, she carried the comfort and safety of home whenever they went. They continued walking, up one floor, then another, and stopped. Eve reached into her bag and pulled out a set of keys.

“Ah, the door is still unlocked!” Ain called out. “The principal completely forgot to lock it last night, haha! Here, let me open it for you.” Eve gave no response and continued to fumble with the keys in her hands, noticing only when the door swung open with a loud creak. Startled by the sudden noise, Eve looked up. Had someone else arrived before she did? Somehow, Ain couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Ladies first~.” He swung his arm out and took a dramatic bow, head bowed until Eve finally decided to enter the room. The staff room. As always, Eve was the first to arrive. She carefully weaved through the messy room, stepping over piles of paper, broken pencils, half-used erasers, empty pens… What a mess. Ain contorted his face, his disgust visibly clear. He had just cleaned the room a few days ago, for goodness sake!

“Geez, I know teachers are very busy, but they can at least try to clean up after themselves.”

Mumbling under his breath, Ain cautiously followed behind Eve. She sat down at her desk and, not noticing the gray haired student peering over her shoulder, one by one, took out the contents of her bag: a pencil case (Ain beamed, she was still using the phoru shaped one he got for her birthday many years ago.), a folder of last week’s math test (a few were already graded!), a plastic water bottle (it was on sale and had served quite well over the years), and a small notebook, with numerous sticky notes and bookmarks sticking out of the pages.

Her daily routine was starting. Ain shifted over and sat on the desk to Eve’s left, casually but quietly pushing aside the papers to make room. He watched as the diligent teacher began looking through each test sheet, eyes darting quickly as she circled a wrong answer here, corrected a graph there, wrote in the solution there…

She placed the test on top of the other graded papers, and took another one out from the folder. “Elsword”. The name was written in messy letters at the top of the page.

“Hmm? Elsword… Ah, he liked the color red if I recall.”

As if in response, Eve moved to grab a red pen from her pencil case. Halfway through, she stopped again. She put the pen down, still uncapped, and reached for her notebook. Flip. Flip. Flip... The pages turned quickly as Eve searched for the section marked “Elsword”.

“‘Dislikes math, use simple explanations and objects/drawings to help with understanding…’” Ain read aloud. He laughed. “You’ve always been like that, always careful of how others feel…”

He leaned back and gazed at the dim, gray ceiling. “How long has it been…? Since that evening…”

_“I… I want to become a teacher.” She took a breath, attempting - and failing - to suppress her sobs. “I want… to make school a safe place, for all students. I want to become a teacher who students can put their trust in, so… so that no one… I’m lucky. I have you, who’s gone through something similar. But, there are other students who don’t have anyone. So… So I want to become that ‘someone’, for them…”_

“Hm? Why were you at my house again…? Ah, yes, that’s right. Your father came home drunk that night.”

_“Eve? What are you doing here so late? ...Wait, you’re bleeding! What happened?”_

__

He quickly pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to her neck, ushering her inside, away from the cold, painful, dark night. They passed the dining room, avoiding the bright lights and talkative adults.

__

“My son, you truly are our pride and joy!”

__

“Yes! To think that our dear son would get accepted into Velder Academy, the most prestigious university in Elrios! Come now, eat some more! Mom made all your favorite foods tonight just for you.”

__

Eve stole a glance behind her. She was envious at first - he had both parents, whereas she only had one. But she quickly learned that they were a lot more similar than she initially thought, and that sometimes, two was not better than one.

__

“Eve?”

__

“Ah, yes, I’m coming.” She turned away from the festive atmosphere and skittered up the stairs.

__

The attic was old and unfurnished, decorated sparingly with hand-me-down furniture. The floorboards creaked and whined with every step, calling out in pain, but aware that there was no one there to listen. It was crude compared to her own bedroom, but somehow, she felt more at ease here. Here was safe. Here was warm. Here was peace. Quiet. Safe. Finally.

__

She sat down on the mattress in the middle of the room, gingerly pressing the handkerchief against her wound. It hurt. It always hurts. She watched as Ain crossed the room and grabbed a bottle of water, struggling to get it out of the plastic box. Successful, he returned and offered it to the girl.

__

_“Here, drink some water. We’ll use a bit to clean your wound, too.”_

Ever since that night, her father began drinking more, and more, and in turn, Eve was wounded more, and more. _It was painful seeing her like that,_ Ain thought to himself. _Seeing what little life she had whittle away._ And by that time next year, it was as if she had lost all her emotions. No matter what happened, Eve never smiled. She never cried, either. Never got angry, never got surprised, never laughed, never complained, never sighed, never--

“Oh! Eve, you’re already here?”

Ain turned to face the door, brought back suddenly into reality. An older woman, another teacher, boxes of chocolates in hand.

“You’re always working so hard! You need to learn how to take a break every now and then.” Her voice was stern, but her lips were smiling and her golden eyes were shining. “Why don’t you go home and rest for today? I’ll take care of everything else.”

Eve opened her mouth to protest: she could keep working, it wasn’t that much trouble, and either way, today was--

“Oh, and take some chocolates, too!”

Before she could utter a word, Eve was ushered out of the staff room, her pencil case and notebook placed back in her tote bag, along with two entire boxes of brand name chocolate. Ain quickly followed behind her, cheerfully calling out “Excuse me!” as he slipped past the other teacher.

“See you on Monday, take care!” With a wave, the older teacher closed the door and locked it with a click. The two stood outside of the staff room, unmoving. Moments passed as Eve contemplated what to do. Since today was an important day… She made up her mind and began walking towards the stairs. Ain, naturally, followed suit.

“Those chocolates look tasty. Where do you think that ma’am got all of them from?”

No response. Of course. It would be more surprising if she did respond.

They walked in silence. Barely past noon, the sun was bright and giving, and the leftover spring breeze made Ain feel sleepy. He yawned.

“Hmm? Where are you going, Eve?” He asked. This wasn’t the direction her house was in. He normally didn’t follow her after she left school - out of respect for her private life - but this time, curiosity got the better of him. _Just this one time,_ he convinced himself.

They walked through countless neighborhoods - some elaborately decorated, some bland, some loud, and some unsettlingly quiet. Eve never took her eyes off the road, but Ain? He commented on nearly every single house.

“Wow, they have Christmas decorations up already? They must be really eager for December! Me too, it’s always so wonderful seeing snow. But I definitely don’t like the cold!”

“Aha, hey, Eve! Look at this friendly dog! Aw, sorry buddy, we can’t take you with us - you already belong to a family. I hope they’re taking good care of you.”

“My, what a pleasant smell. Are they having barbeque for lunch? How lucky~.”

“Hey Eve, we’ve been walking for awhile now. Where exactly did you want to go--oh.”

They had arrived. A small gravestone laid in the middle of the field. The faded words, the chipped stone, the overpopulation of weeds… It was obvious that - much like its owner - the grave was severely neglected. Ain felt the smile leave his lips. He bet his parents never came to visit him even once. The thought made him feel bitter, unpleasant, a wave of warmth, nausea, hatred, loathing formed in the pits of his stomach. Bitter. Bitter. He wanted to vomit. He wasn’t surprised. Of course those so-called ‘parents’ of his would never even consider--

“I miss you.”

Ain looked up. He relaxed and unclenched his fists (when did that happen?), his hands feeling slightly numb.

“I miss you,” Eve repeated. Her voice was quiet, her stance was still, her face unchanging, and yet, Ain noticed the faint trembling of her lips, the slightest quiver of her eyes, her shakiness, her unsteady legs, her tensed arms. And then it was all gone. Did he imagine it? He didn’t know.

_“No… No! Ain wouldn’t--he wouldn’t commit suicide like that! He was never--we were going to live! We were going to grow up and live happy, fulfilling lives, and die peacefully at an old age. That was our dream, that was what we wanted. That’s what he wanted! He wouldn’t choose to die like this!”_

__

“Eve,” the teacher cooed. “I know you were close friends with Ain, and that you’re really upset, but try to understand how his parents feel, okay?”

__

“They don’t feel anything! They never did! It wasn’t a suicide, teacher, I know! They killed him! They--”

__

_“That’s enough. You’re bothering these good policemen. Run along and be a good girl, now.”_

A bitter memory.

Eve began to move. She was running away. From her father, from her teachers, from herself, from him. Even now, she continues to run. How pitiful. Behind her, Ain turned his gaze to the lonely gravestone - small, gray, faded, unnoticed, worthless. A single box of unopened chocolate as offering. Ahh, if only he could destroy it all. He turned away. _Smile,_ he told himself. _Forget about all the unpleasant feelings._

He ran to catch up with Eve before she got too far, steps almost in sync as they walked back the way they came, through all the pretty, and boring, and noisy, and quiet neighborhoods. Neither person spoke a word. It was silent. Uncomfortable. Ain didn’t know what to say or do. He simply trailed beside her. The next time she stopped, they were in front of an apartment.

“Welcome back. You’re home earlier than usual.” A deep voice greeted the two of them. Ain turned and stared at the older man. His long bangs and dark clothes reminded Ain of the “emo kids” in school. However, the bright pink apron gave a completely different impression.

“Wow, that’s so cute, mister landlord! It even has little chicks on it!” Ain laughed. Eve simply nodded, both as a reply and as a greeting.

“A package came for you earlier.” The landlord continued. “It was too big to leave in your mailbox, so I put it in your room, on the table. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”

“Not at all. Thank you.”

This time the landlord gave a nod. Ain flashed a particularly bright smile and waved good-bye to the man, before running to catch up with Eve. They went up a flight of stairs, then another, and then a third. Ain could feel his legs getting tired, and laughed awkwardly as he and Eve both stopped to take a break.

“Hey, Eve?” He asked in between breaths. “Maybe you should consider taking the elevator, haha…”

They resumed walking, stopping only when they had arrived at the fifth and final floor. 503 was the door Eve stood in front of. Key in hand, she unlocked the door and walked inside.

“Oh, hey, wait up! Hold the door for me!” Ain quickly ran in the room. Sure, he could open the door on his own, but at the moment, he just wanted to lie down and rest. He collapsed on the wood-furnished floor and rolled onto his back. It should be okay if he kept his shoes on, right? He wasn’t trekking mud in or anything. The lights flicked on, allowing him to glance around and examine the room. “Ah~, your room is really nice! I feel at home every time I come here.”

That wasn’t a lie. The room was simple and modestly decorated - bright, cream walls, a floral patterned sofa, a small bed in the corner, a simple desk across from it, a glass coffee table in the middle, and a small hallway that presumably lead to the bathroom and kitchen. It was clean, organized, and felt very welcoming - the polar opposite of the attic he called home. He looked at the box sitting on the table. _Oh! Is that…?_ He got up on his knees and crawled his way to Eve, sitting down beside her.

“...There’s no return address.” The recipient’s address was written twice - the old house Eve used to live in with her father, was crossed out with black marker. Her current apartment’s address was written above the crossed out text.

She opened her tote bag and pulled out her pencil case. Scissors in hand, she gingerly cut the tape holding the box shut. Beside her, Ain looked on with excitement, his eyes practically sparkling. She dug her arm into the pool of styrofoam balls and pulled out… Plastic? A pack of eighteen assorted pens in black, red, and blue. A yellow sticky note was taped to the back. “For the future assignments you’ll be marking! :)” it read.

She reached her hand into the box again. A floral patterned binder, with three composition notebooks inside. On the first notebook was another sticky note: “For all your organizational needs! ^o^” She reached in again. An apple shaped clock, batteries long dead. “To help make sure you never lose track of time! >_<” A specialty phoru pen. “Since you liked the pencil case so much, here’s a pen to add to your collection! :D”. A letter, addressed to: “My best friend, Eve”.

“Open it, open it!” Ain cheered, watching intently as Eve examined the envelope. She cautiously turned it around, staring, curiosly, and then cut open the seal.

The paper inside felt old and crinkled in Eve’s hands. It was stiff, and smelled like dust and… Something familiar? The ink had faded slightly, but the words were still very legible. She began to read:

> “Dear Eve,
> 
> How are you doing? I asked the post office to mail this five years later, but they told me the maximum length they could hold it for was one year. :(
> 
> And so, here is your package, one year later, happy summer vacation! We’ll be in our final year of high school this coming fall. Are you excited? Are you working hard towards becoming a teacher? I certainly hope so, because all of these are gifts that I feel a teacher would find useful. I hope you find them useful, too! :)
> 
> Next year, I want to focus on finding a job, and become independent. I know that not attending university is often frowned upon, but I want to hurry up and get a place of my own. I think my parents will be happier with me gone. And plus, don’t you think it’ll be fun to have a place to our own? We can decorate it however we want, without worrying about anything. It’ll be a safe place for us to return to at the end of the day.
> 
> I’ll bring this topic up with my parents later tonight. Of course, I’ll inform you of the results as soon as I am able to. But until then, here is a question I would like you to think about: would you like to move in with me?
> 
> It will be difficult. I’m confused over these new feelings. I feel as if it would be prudent to call it ‘love’, however, I am certain that I do care for you. I can’t bear to see you continue suffering. I want to be by your side, to support you, for you to support me, like we have been doing for all these years. I want this warm, comforting feeling that I get around you to continue. I want us to be able to laugh, and cry, and get angry, without feeling suppressed, or fearful. I want you to be able to express yourself as much as you want. You look absolutely charming when you share your feelings with me, whether you are laughing at something silly, crying after reading a sad novel, pouting when you lose at an arcade game, or panicking when you think you’ve forgotten your homework. I love all your emotions.
> 
> If you agree, I would be very happy! Of course, do not let me pressure you into accepting. I will respect whatever decision you make.
> 
> Until then, do take care of yourself. And remember that no matter what happens, I will always be by your side as your friend and ally. That is a promise.
> 
> June 13 -- Ain”

Eve looked at the date again. June thirteenth. The following day, the corpse of a male high schooler was found in a river. All sorts of bruises and cuts lined his body, though the cause of death was stated to be drowning.

“Ahh, don’t be sad…” Ain began to fret; her hands were definitely quivering this time. “It’ll make me sad if you are sad.”

“Why… Why did you have to die…?” Her voice was quiet, tender, sweet, and yet, it pained Ain. “Why aren’t you here? Why did you have to die?” She repeated. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but they refused to fall, instead, lingering, clinging on, floating.

“I… I am here though. I promised didn’t I? That I would always be beside you.”

Eve quickly turned her head. She glanced around. She was certain she heard Ain’s voice just now.

“Ain?” She called for him, hesitantly. She stood up and walked around her apartment, searching. There’s no way he would be here, right…? She called out his name again.

“Ain, if… If you are here, please--” She stopped, mouth agape. Returning to the main room, she saw the figure of her dearest friend, enveloped in a soft, green glow. He was in his school uniform, smiling gently, as if he didn’t die that day, as if he wasn’t murdered that day, as if time had simply stopped for him and he… was still alive.

“...Ain…”

“Oh? Can you see me? I guess my perseverance finally paid off,” he laughed. It was such a bright, carefree laugh, as if nothing was wrong in the world. It made Eve feel simultaneously at peace, and as if she were stabbed with an invisible blade.

“Ain, you… You came back…” She quickly darted to him, almost tripping over a table leg. She sat down, impatient, and reached a hand out to his chest. He felt… Warm. Gentle. Alive.

“...I missed you.”

“...I missed you a lot, too.”

Eve could feel a wave of emotions pouring from within her. Plop. Plop. Tears began flowing in streams as Eve clung to her long lost friend, tightly, tensely, as if she was worried that he would suddenly fly away and disappear again. She felt like a child again, running away from home, hiding until her father fell asleep, always with Ain for support, his shirt muffling her cries and absorbing her tears, as Ain gently stroked her hair. He felt a mix of emotions - he was happy to talk with and touch her again, but he was also worried as this had never happened before. Not to mention, he was also sad that his death had caused his friend so much grief. He was aware of all the pain, and yet, he refused to look, refused to acknowledge it.

“That’s right… Let all your tears out. You’ve locked them up for all these years, I’m happy that you finally let yourself be heard again.”

Ahh, he was beginning to feel his own eyes start to water. Eve’s feelings were reaching him loud and clear: joy, relief, confusion, fear, grief, despair, denial, excitement, anxiety, bewilderment, contempt, frustration, yearning… All these years of pent up emotions were pouring out from one heart to another.

“I’m really proud of you, Eve. You became a teacher who everyone loves and trusts, just like you said you would.” He continued stroking her hair, soft, thin, light, with a faint and pleasant scent that he couldn’t quite identify. “Your younger self would be so happy if she could see you right now. And of course, I am, too. You have such kind coworkers, and your students all adore you, even though they’re a bit mischievous. But then again, we were kind of like that, too, haha.”

“I know you’ve been badly hurt, over, and over, and over again… But it’s all right now. There’s no one here to hurt you, and if someone did appear, I will come back to life and punch them for you.” He could feel Eve stop sobbing for a moment to laugh. He smiled, continuing, “Hey… Can you do me a favor? Just like right now, please continue to show your feelings. Please don’t lock them up and hide them away again. I miss the Eve who would laugh with me, cry with me, and enjoy life with me, even if it was a difficult and unhappy life. Can you do this for me?”

He heard her sniffling, hand continuously easing her, calming her, comforting her. And then, he felt a nod. His hand slowed. He smiled. He kissed the top of her head, gently, tenderly, sweetly, gratefully, earnestly, lovingly.

“Thank you, Eve. I love all your expressions, all of your emotions, and of course, I love all of you. ...I apologize for not being able to tell you sooner. May you continue to live a long and fulfilling life...”

* * *

When Eve opened her eyes again, she was tucked into bed, blanket covered up to her neck. The lights were still on, the table was still strewn with half-open gifts. Eve wondered how she managed to fall asleep. She glanced at her bedside clock. 7:48 PM. It was still Saturday.

Her eyes stung and her throat felt sore, but what about Ain? She sat up and glanced around the room. He was not here. She called out his name.

“...Ain?”

No response.

...Was it just a dream? She didn’t want to believe it. He was really here, she saw him, heard him, felt him, and he was warm and he was here. She pulled the blanket and climbed out of bed. For a moment, she thought she saw something glow, a soft, gentle, green light. Letting her curiosity take over, she stepped closer to the table. The letter was still on display, though there was something different about it. She picked it up.

The contents of the letter had remained the same. There was merely a new addition at the very bottom:

“P. S. You look incredibly beautiful in that white dress! ♡ Ain”

Ahh, it was not a dream. She still missed him, but even if Ain was no longer here, she knew that he would always support her. They made a promise, after all, and she intended to keep it.

Knock knock! Someone was at the door. Her thoughts interrupted, Eve put down the letter and went to open the door.

“Oh. He--”

_Smile, Eve! I love seeing you smile._

...Yes. That’s correct. She felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders, as if Ain was beside her, gently helping to take off a bulky winter coat. Her summer was here. Now. Right here. She felt the corners of her lips rise to form a soft grin. It felt natural, bittersweet, as if it had left merely yesterday and not nearly a decade ago. She took a deep breath. Was the air in her room always this light? Calm. Comforting. Free. Warm, and slightly stuffy, but not to the point of suffocation. She took another breath and cleared her throat. Lips smiling, eyelids slightly fallen, eyebrows arched, golden eyes glittering with gentle eagerness. Yes. Summer was finally here.

“Good evening, sir!”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm moving over from FF.net. Please excuse the mess while I sort things out.


End file.
